Before the days of crowdfunding and honeymoon registries, the groom’s parents traditionally covered honeymoon expenses. While many couples stick with this tradition, it is no longer assumed. The financial burden may fall on someone else depending on traditions, family relationships, and the couple’s preferences.
Table of Contents
Why Does the Groom’s Family Pay For the Honeymoon?
In a traditional wedding, the financial obligations are shared between both sets of parents.
Most brides want to be hands-on with their wedding, so they act as the principal wedding planner, and the bride’s parents pay most of the wedding-related bills. As a gesture of equity and a gift to their spouses, grooms organize the honeymoon, and the groom’s parents shoulder the expenses.
Other wedding costs that the groom’s parents (or other family members) pay for are:
- The bride’s rings (wedding ring and engagement ring)
- The bridal bouquet
- His and his groomsmen’s attire
- Lodging and gifts for the groomsmen
- His bachelor party expenses
- The rehearsal dinner
- The marriage license and officiant fees
What Does the Bride’s Family Pay For?
Wedding planning and expenses traditionally fall on the bride’s and the bride’s parents’.
Apart from the wedding costs, they also cover the following:
- The groom’s rings
- The engagement party
- The wedding reception
- The brunch on the day after the wedding ceremony
- The wedding invitations, reception cards, postage
- Her wedding dress and her bridesmaids, including accessories and hair and make-up
- Lodging and gifts for the bridesmaids
- The bachelorette party and bridal shower
Who Plans the Honeymoon?
In traditional wedding etiquette, the groom plans the honeymoon. However, this is no longer necessarily the case as times have changed.
It’s common to see the bride planning the honeymoon instead of the groom. Alternatively, you and your partner can jointly plan your dream honeymoon — like how you would team up and get each other’s insights when curating your guest list.
How Much Does a Honeymoon Cost?
On average, couples spend an estimated $4,800 on honeymoon costs if they travel by plane. If by car, the expenses go down to $2,200 (airfare takes up a substantial proportion of the budget).
As with your wedding budget, honeymoon expenses can significantly increase if you’re headed to a remote or more exotic location (Caribbean and Mexican honeymoons can cost you $5,000 to $8,000). But you can get the most bang for your buck if you choose an all-inclusive resort that offers wedding and honeymoon deals.
5 Ways to Save Money When Planning a Honeymoon
No matter who pays for the honeymoon, maximizing the budget is essential. Here’s how:
- Be honest about the financial situation. Talk with your partner about how your honeymoon will be paid for, and open the conversation with your families. Be realistic and plan your honeymoon so that no party involved in the payment will have to hurt their bank accounts.
- Open a dedicated savings account. To avoid using any money to be spent for the honeymoon, advise all paying parties to contribute to one specific savings account.
- Make the most of a credit card. If you have a credit card with an airline affiliation and you’re planning an out-of-the-country honeymoon, consider redeeming points for air miles.
- Plan the timing well. Whether you’re honeymooning locally or abroad, traveling during the off-season is best. This brings down travel and accommodation costs substantially.
- Accept help from others. Be open to accepting monetary aid from others. Assistance can also come in non-monetary form (for instance, you can use a family member’s resort or club membership to get special discounts or deals).
Today, Is It Still Traditional That the Groom’s Family Pay for the Honeymoon?
While tradition dictates that the groom’s family should cover honeymoon expenses, you and your partner have the final say.
In the modern era, below are some ways you can pay for this getaway:
- On your own. If you don’t want to burden others with your honeymoon costs, consider splitting the costs with your partner. Use the tips mentioned above to help accommodate these expenses.
- Using monetary gifts. Today, more and more wedding guests and loved ones are choosing to gift soon-to-be-married couples with cash. If you don’t have a big expense yet (e.g., a house or a car), you could use some of those gifts to fund your post-wedding trip.
- Crowdfunding. You can set up a crowdfunding campaign on popular platforms to gather monetary help from your family members and friends (even those who aren’t invited to your wedding).
- Setting up a honeymoon registry. Instead of a wedding registry, use a honeymoon registry. When you set up a honeymoon fund, you’ll have more flexibility than traditional crowdfunding websites. You can ask people to pay for specific experiences (e.g., theater tickets, a cruise package, or an airline seat upgrade).